Some of the most beautiful private gardens in the district will be on display Saturday for the Lake Country Garden Club’s annual Garden Tour 2017.
Now in its eighth year, the garden tour will feature seven gardens, including the memorial rose garden at the seniors’ activity centre, 9832 Bottom Wood Lake Rd. in Winfield.
Tickets are $20/person, with the proceeds to benefit the Okanagan Rail Trail.
Advance tickets are available at Kel-Lake Greenhouse, ACE Hardware and Winfield IDA Pharmacy in Lake Country; Art Knapp Plantland, The Greenery in Kelowna; Bylands Nursery in West Kelowna, Swan Lake Nursery in Vernon; and Blue Mountain Nursery in Armstrong.
The event runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and tickets will be available the day of the event outside the seniors’ activity centre, the start and end point for the tour where free refreshments will be provided.
Judy Poole, on the organizing committee for the garden tour, said this is one of the major fundraisers for the garden club, coupled with the annual plant sale in the spring.
Poole said a maximum of 300 tickets will be sold for the self-guided tour, which has the support of 17 sponsors.
Different homeowners are recruited each year to allow the public to access their gardens for a day, said Poole, as participants are given locations maps where to find the tour stops.
“This year we have added something new, a mystery draw where people are asked to identify a (small) maple leaf flag tied to a tree in each of the gardens. The idea is to encourage everyone to visit all the gardens and to look for something unique about each garden which will have the flag attached to it,” Poole said.
“If you find all seven, you can then put your name in for a prize draw.”
Besides the gardens, each location will also include local artisans either showcasing their work or working on a piece of art during the day. A raffle prize will be offered at each garden stop.
“There will be about 13 to 15 different artists participating so there will be quite a variety of different types of art on display,” Poole said.